Sjostrom and Halsall Put Up World’s Top Two Times in the 50 Butterfly

2016 FFN GOLDEN TOUR CAMILLE MUFFAT – MARSEILLE

• Dates: Friday, March 4 – Sunday, March 6, 2016
• Prelims 9 am GMT+1 (3 am EST/12 am PST); finals 5 pm on Friday and Saturday (11 am EST/8 am PST), 3:30 pm on Sunday (9:30 am EST/6:30 am PST)
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Swedish star Sarah Sjostrom was one of two women to record a world’s top time on the first evening in Marseille. Sjostrom won the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 25.18, bettering her season’s best of 25.24 which she recorded at the Swedish Grand Prix in Malmo.

Fran Halsall of Great Britain had an impressive performance of her own finishing second in a time of 25.60. Halsall’s time places herself second in the world rankings behind Sjostrom.

Melanie Henique of France finished third in a time of 26.27.

Women’s 800 freestyle

Mireia Belmonte continued her way back from injury by winning the 800 freestyle on the first night in Marseille. Belmonte took the event in a time of 8:29.70. Her time was just off her season’s best of 8:28.82, which she record in Luxembourg at the end of January. Belmonte held the lead for the majority of the race turning in a time of 4:15.75 at the 400 meter mark negative splitting the race posting a 4:13.05 in the second half of the event.

Italian Martina de Meme was not far off the pace finishing in a time of 8:32.49. The time was her season’s best beating the 8:32.69 which she put at the Italian National Championships in December. Belmonte’s teammate Maria Vilas Vidal finished third in a time of 8:40.16.

Men’s 1500 freestyle

Damien Joly of France dominated the men’s 1500 freestyle finishing over 24 seconds ahead of the field. Joly touched in a time of 14:58.18, but was not able to match his season’s best of 14:56.13, which currently ranks second in the world. Daniel Jervis of Great Britain finished second in a time of 15:22.71 followed by Paul Barascud of France who finished in a time of 15:36.21.

Women’s 400 IM

Hungarian Katinka Hosszu started her evening by breaking her own European record in the 400 IM winning the event 4:29.89. Hosszu better the mark of 4:30.31, which she set at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. The Hungarian just missed setting the record at the World Championships in Kazan where she won the event in a time of 4:30.39.

Fantine Lesaffre of France finished second in a time of 4:38.88, which puts her in the 10th spot in the world rankings. She was followed by Belmonte who hit the wall in a time of 4:39.55, beating her season’s best of 4:41.80.

Men’s 400 IM

Hungarian David Verraszto took the men’s 400 IM in a time of 4:12.63, putting himself in the top five in the world rankings.

Verraszto finished over three seconds ahead of German Jacob Heidtmann who posted a time of 4:16.39. Xaiver Mohammed of Great Britain collected the bronze finishing over five seconds behind Heidtmann hitting the wall in a time of 4:21.46.

Women’s 50 backstroke

Russian Anastasiia Fesikova won the women’s 50 backstroke in a time of 28.16. Fesikova finished 12 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Georgia Davies of Great Britain who touched in a time of 28.28. Davies teammate Elizabeth Simmonds finished third in a time of 28.62.

Men’s 50 backstroke

World champion Camille Lacourt of France took the men’s 50 backstroke in a time of 25.20, well off his season’s best of 24.65 which he recorded in September. Jan-Philip Glania of Germany finished second in a time of 25.31 followed by Frenchman Benjamin Strasiulis who posted a 25.61.

Women’s 50 breaststroke

Italian Martina Carraro won the women’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 31.13. Carraro was just off her season’s best of 31.06, which she posted at the Italian National Championships in December. Viktoria Zeynap Gunes of Turkey won the silver in a time of 31.30. Gunes was only six one-hundredths of a second off of her own national record of 31.24, which she put up at the Russian National Championships last April.

Italian Michela Guzzetti finished third in a time of 31.96.

Men’s 50 breaststroke

Giacomo Perez Dortona of France took the men’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 27.62 followed by Russian Kirill Prigoda who finished in a time of 27.91. Demir Atasoy of Turkey and Fabio Scozzoli of Italian both finished one one-hundredth of a second behind Priogoda posting times of 27.92.

With his time Atasoy broke his own Turkish record of 28.04, a record he set at the 2013 World Championships in  Barcelona.

Men’s 50 butterfly

Mehdy Metella of France won an extremely close race for the 50 butterfly title. Metella finished three one-hundredths of a second ahead of German Steffen Deibler and six one-hundredths of a second ahead of Italian Matteo Rivolta. Metella won the event in a time of 23.95 followed by Deibler who posted a 23.98 and Rivolta who touched in a time of 24.01.